About 1.2 million migrant workers have disappeared from the U.S. labor force since January 2025, highlights an analysis released Thursday, which points to the economic damage caused by President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
The new analysis, ‘Warning Signs of Economic Damage from Deportations,’ found that the biggest impact on employment was in the agricultural sector, where jobs plummeted 6.5% between March and July 2025, reversing two years of growth.
US loses migrant workers
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 2,371,000 farm jobs in March 2025 versus only 2,216,000 in July 2025, a decrease of 155,000 in just four months.
The report by Economic Insights and Research Consulting states that the immigration raids targeting farmers and farm workers have impacted fresh vegetable prices, which have risen at an annual rate of more than 8% and meat prices at 7% per year.
The construction sector has also been affected, with building permits falling by 17% in the Northeast and declining in regions with the highest reliance on immigrants, exacerbating the housing crisis for working families.
The sectors where the U.S. is losing migrant workers are: Construction employment declined in the 10 states with the highest concentration of immigrants, including Texas, Florida and California, the report asserts.
The leisure and tourism industry grew by only 0.2% in states with high immigration, another worrisome figure for restaurant and hotel owners.
“Trump’s massive deportation offensive disrupts our economy and raises food and housing prices for all Americans – the inevitable result that economists have long warned about,” said Vanessa Cardenas, executive director of America’s Voice, at a press conference.
The activist added that the public must understand that this “is not just bad immigration policy, but economic sabotage” that hurts working families and entire communities.
For his part, Chris Gibbs, president of Rural Voice USA and Rural Voices Network, said the decline in the agricultural sector is a real opportunity for farm owners and farmers to call on the White House to pass immigration reform.
